


River, Sea and Stream

by starfishstar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Azkaban era, Hogwarts Era, Lie Low At Lupin's, M/M, Triple Drabble, happy Marauders moments, lonely separation, reunion at Remus' cottage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22061827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfishstar/pseuds/starfishstar
Summary: Remus and Sirius, three moments: in the sunlight of the old days, in the cold of the years apart, and in the quiet, hopeful days of coming back together.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34
Collections: RS Small Gifts 2019





	River, Sea and Stream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shaggydogstail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaggydogstail/gifts).



> A quick triple drabble written for shaggydogstail’s prompt in the 2019 Remus/Sirius Small Gifts fest: 
> 
> _“We twa hae paidl'd in the burn // frae morning sun till dine // But seas between us braid hae roar'd // sin' auld lang syne”_ (from Auld Lang Syne by Rabbie Burns).

_River_

“No, left, Remus, paddle _left_!” From the bow of the canoe, sunlight glinting off his dark hair, Sirius was laughing so hard, he could hardly hold his oar.

“Oh, excuse me, who said ‘watch out on the left’, clearly implying paddle _right_ –” But Remus was laughing, too. It was so long since they’d had a day like this: the splashing river, his friends, nobody on duty or in danger.

“Oi, you two, less flirting, more paddling!” James yelled from the canoe ahead, Lily steering.

Sirius flicked water at James’ retreating back, then turned, grinned and threw Remus a wink.

_Sea_

He was drawn to the sea. At the oddest times, the strangest hours, Remus would find himself standing on the rocky shore, staring out over grey waves.

He couldn’t help it; it didn’t help anything. Yet he was drawn to that expanse, to the knowledge that Sirius was on the other side.

Azkaban. An ugly word.

A fitting place for a person who’d done something unspeakable.

Remus still wondered. Nothing he’d known of Sirius suggested it was possible. Sirius would have died for James. Surely he would never betray him?

Remus wondered. And he wondered if he would ever know.

_Stream_

He hadn’t heard Sirius approach until he was beside Remus, by the little stream below the cottage.

“It’s not much,” Remus said, meaning the ramshackle cottage, where he’d lived since leaving his disastrous year at Hogwarts.

“It’s lovely,” Sirius said, maybe meaning the countryside before them, or perhaps something else.

They both gazed out at the rolling green hills, the cheerful babbling brook, and breathed quietly, together.

“You could have gone anywhere, now that you’re free,” Remus said, turning to Sirius. Then, in case his meaning wasn’t clear, “Thank you for coming here.”

Sirius slipped his hand into Remus’. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here are my other Remus/Sirius stories:
> 
> • [On a Windswept Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2066574/chapters/4492539) – the Remus/Sirius gothic romance AU!  
> • [A Constellation’s Just a Picture in the Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5268578/chapters/12157184) – a slight-canon-divergence AU of adventure and romance.  
> • [The Fall of the House of Black](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12462843) – another gothic romance, that's also a fusion with Edgar Allan Poe.  
> • [Northern Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12526136) – Remus takes Sirius to watch the northern lights.  
> • [Dust and Soot and Silence](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2348966) – four nights of difficult emotions, in 1979.  
> • [Hangover Cures](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2642246) – fluff and romance, one morning ca. 1980.  
> • [Shipwreck Against Your Eyes](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2642282) – things falling apart, in September 1981.  
> • [Never Say Never Never](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2707922) – fluff and fun and Muggle films, in 1977.  
> • [ Let the Tea Leaves Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902497) – friendship and foreshadowing, 1978.  
> • [ Like Leaves and Kings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27342946) – the Marauders, on the cusp of adulthood, with just a touch of Remus/Sirius.  
> • [ The Loneliest Man of Winter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21947380) – Sirius never went to Azkaban.  
> • [ Bliss of the Domestic Kind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29568927) – a post-canon moment of happiness.  
> • [Boys in Space](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1736696) – a fun little outer space AU.  
> • and a fun co-written project with stereolightning: [Fantastic Beasts and How to Win Their Hearts: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4978381/chapters/11434138)


End file.
